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February 26, 2006
Some photos from the Sleepwalk performances in Arizona have been added to the Photo Gallery.
August 14, 2005
The final batch of photos from Scotland have been added to the Photo Gallery.
August 11, 2005
From Mike Fisher:
EDINBURGH, 12 AUG: Two shows left and things continue to improve. We
have had members of the press in four of the last five performances (ok,
I'm not sure though what publications their reviews are in - I'm trying to
figure that out from the C Venues staff). I plan to video tape
the entire performance on Saturday.
We're seeing lots of shows - most of them for free! C Venues is the
largest venue in the festival and we qualify for free stand by tickets.
What a deal! Some kids are seeing three and four shows a day! What a
great experience. They've made friends with a New York Company and are
exchanging contact info - really professional; all graduates of Tisch,
UNC. They're really impressed with our show and spend a lot of time
chatting with our kids. Talk about a great contact.
Mark Lewis did a storytelling show at C Venues. Really fun because he got
to tell some great stories and we got to see him do what he does best. I
just got a phone call from the C Venues management - they want to offer
him another slot. . .
I already miss this. We've done a remarkable thing here - and on our own.
No one did anything for us; we succeeded because of our hard work and our
talent. I'm extremely proud of the cast, crew, and our chaperones. It's
been an unforgetable experience that I know I'll cherish always and will
look long and hard to duplicate (though I expect that to be difficult at
best).
August 10, 2005
Three new photos from the Military Tattoo (a British military pageant or display) have been added to the Photo Gallery.
August 9, 2005
From Mike Fisher:
Update: Edinburgh, 9 August, 2005: The day after the great press! We
got three reviews in Aug. 8 papers. The two largest and best gave us 4
Stars. Quite a feat, considering the vast amount of shows here - many of
which are with professional casts and more tightly produced. We're all
very proud. I've attached copies of all three reviews - the Metro review
also included a picture and is posted prominently in our venue. The Three
Weeks review, though not as positive, is still a pretty accurate
representation of that day's performance - we were really tired after a
long morning of promoting. We don't do that any more. (From the Webmaster: See the reviews below by clicking on their link.)
Special thanks to Greg Ptacek. Many of you don't know him; he's the
publicist in LA that works with Bill and he did a great job of flooding
the press here with releases and encouragement to cover the show. We'd
still love to get TV coverage. Greg's working on it!
We've copied the Scotsman review and have attached it to flyers and
continue to pump the show at every opportunity. We've been targeting the
kids at the AHSTF venue - the group we were originally going to go with.
I met most of those directors last year so it's an in to reconnect with
them. The cast then slyly slides in, chats with the other casts who are
waiting to get into their venues and then plys them with flyers. A group
came yesterday and we're expecting more today. As a side note, we're all
pretty glad we decided to come the way we did. The AHSTF venue is
terrible and they didn't get half the service we did to help get their
shows up. Also, the kids are feeling pretty cocky, bragging about their
multiple performances, the work they've been doing, the reviews, and the
relative freedom they get in comparision (though not near enough for some
members of our group - I leave you to guess who). As well, on the
average, everybody paid $5,000 per person and they're here 4 less days.
Mark Lewis got to MC a late-nite show called the Establishment. He told a
couple of stories and jokes and introduced all the other acts. A few of
us saw the show, but I had to bail at 2 AM - could barely stay awake. A
couple of the more valient made it all the way to 3 AM! They loved Mark
so much, they've invited him to do a Children's show at one of the venues
during the day. He's meeting with the organizers today.
Ruben VanKempen from Roosevelt HS in Seattle, arrived on Sunday and is
staying with us. He's scoping it all out for his group for next year -
they plan to bring 40 or more and do a musical. He's already met with the
C Venues staff and it looks very encouraging. I told him he has to have a
spare room for me next year so I can come over and "consult."
We did manage to get Tattoo tickets for everyone who wanted to see it.
Through the kindness, I might mention, of the AHSTF. I called the guy who
runs it over here and he had plenty of spares. Eight went last night and
ten of us are going tonight.
Jake & Nate are playing tour guide - Nate led a group to St. Andrews the
other day. Jake is leading a group to Stirling castle. The chaperones
all went to St. Andrews and most will be going with the kids to Stirling.
I'll be staying behind to mind the fort and do a bit of "busking."
Everyone jumps on a train after the show, stays a while, then catches the
last train back. Makes for a late evening, but it's a great experience.
Props to Nate & Jake who are doing a marvelous job as group leaders.
That's all for now. Sorry, no pictures, but rest assured your kids are
filling up media cards with them. I'll try to do one more update before
we return.
DON'T FORGET - EVERYONE IS ARRANGING THEIR OWN TRANSPORT FROM PORTLAND!!
Please be in contact with your kids or their chaperone to confirm your
plans. Thanks!!
August 9, 2005
The Sleepwalk review in Metro.
Click here to read the review. This is an Adobe Acrobat file. If you don't have the Adobe Reader software on your computer, you can download the free reader at adobe.com
August 8, 2005
Sleepwalk received a "three star" review in ThreeWeeks.
Click here to read the review. You might have to register first with ThreeWeeks to access the review. It is a easy and painless process.
August 7, 2005
Sleepwalk received a "four star" review in The Scotsman.
Click here to read the review.
August 5, 2005
From Mike Fisher:
EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND - 8/5/05
2nd performance and so far only about 8 people have seen the show - and of
those 8, only about three of them actually paid! But, also, of those 8,
three were reviewers. With so many shows, not everyone gets even one
review - we stand to get at least three, with the possibility of even more
critics to come. As well, the festival hasn't even started yet! The
shows we're doing through Saturday are merely previews. So, we're not too
disheartened. Still, we are working very hard at getting out the word and
we're hoping for good notices to improve our chances of getting greater
audience turn out.
Some good news this morning; the Scotland Metro will also be doing a
preview article, this one with pictures of the show (I hope, they asked
and I sent them). Look for it this weekend. If you're trying to keep up
with the press, just Google "Sleepwalk Mastrosimone" You'll get a number
of hits that include the Scotman's article from the 3rd - soon there
should be reviews and other stories.
Some of the pictures are of London - our tour with Doug took us past the
Thames, through St. Paul's Cathedral, by Westminster Abby, the House of
Parliament, Big Ben, and through a tour of the Tower of London. We even
got to see the crown jewels. Very cool.
In Scotland, we've been mostly busy with the show. Besides the 5 AM tech
(see pictures), we've also been out "busking," which is sort like drumming
up support. The crowd of 18 students moves around the Royal Mile doing a
new rap created by Mark, featuring Joel, in costume, pounding on Jake.
During which Joel interacts with the crowd that gathers, saying things
like "hey, baby, want to get emotional?" to a couple of cute girls. What
a surprise, right?
Jake managed to snag a couple of tickets for Saturday night's performance
of the Military Tattoo - he's going with Nate. They're very excited.
We're starting to branch out a bit and see other shows - still a bit
stressful with our show just yet. Me? I barely have time to sip coffee
(that's right, barely, but I do manage). The energy of the festival is
gathering - it's in the air. Over a million visitors come to Edinburgh
for this festival - you can imagine the crowds. . .
Cheers!
August 3, 2005
FIRST PERFORMANCE! All right, so the crowd wasn't huge: only six people in the audience and most of those were reviewers. The official opening of the Festival is on Saturday. Metro Scotland will publish a preview article this weekend.
August 2, 2005
At 5AM (Edinburgh time), the crew had a four hour tech rehearsal. Everything is basically in place. They did a full run in the afternoon, with a couple of technical glitches (the upstage light that does the shadow play doesn't want to come back on and they are working to fix that. C Venues built a table almost exactly like the one that has been used - it's fabulous!
The rehearsal went well and they are tired but happy! The cast is working on a rap for the street to gather attention for the play. The first two shows will be a "two for the price of one" to drum up some support for the rest of the performances.
Read an article from The Scotsman about William Mastrosimone and Sleepwalk.
Click here to access the article. There are other links on that page to the Fringe Festival and The Scotsman that you might want to add to your Favorites list.
August 1, 2005
Everyone arrived in Scotland Sunday afternoon but a couple of bags didn't make it - they should be arriving soon. The cast and crew are distibuting 10,000 flyers to promote Sleepwalk. Excitement builds as the group toured the venue and met the staff this morning.
July 31, 2005
Everyone enjoyed the tour of London. Check out the Photo Gallery below for some pictures from the tour. The tour included the usual sites, monuments and buildings. A great view of London was seen from the Millenium Wheel, a huge Ferris Wheel that overlooked the entire city. The group saw the musical Chicago starring Brooke Shields and shopped for bargains, despite the terrible exchange rate. If they stay in the British Isles much longer, they all might be coming back with a British accent!
How's this about a great example of Thurston manners from an e-mail sent home: Morgan also told of a cultural learning experience. She and some
friends were entering a door. They paused and held the door for an
elderly woman to enter it. The woman looked at them a bit oddly.
Later, after entering the building, might have been for lunch or
something, the woman and some of her other lady friends approached
Morgan and her group and inquired if they were Americans. They said
yes. The woman smiled sweetly and explained that usually young folks do
not show such courtesy as holding a door for the elderly as they had
done. That's why she and her friends thought they might be Americans.
Our kids rock!
July 30, 2005
The Thurston entourage made it safely to London. Weather in London was in the 60's with some cloudy skies. After a night in the dorms, the group headed out to tour London and attend the theatre. They will be heading up to Edinburgh early on Sunday.
July 28, 2005
Read Anne Williams' The Register-Guard article about Thurston's thespians' final rehearsals before leaving for Scotland.
Click here to access the article until Wednesday, August 3, 2005
July 21, 2005
The Red Chair Players (West), a performance company of the Thurston High School Theatre Department, is currently in rehearsals (July 18 to July 27) in preparation for their eleven performances of Sleepwalk at the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland.
The cast, crew and chaperones will be leaving on Thursday, July 28 to begin their journey overseas, arriving in London, England on Friday, July 29.
Check this page for periodic updates and photos from the Land of Colts and Kilts!
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